Drake University's Yinka Mary Ajayi will represent her native Nigeria in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics as a member of the Nigerian 4x400-meter mixed relay team.

Ajayi is Drake's first-ever current female student-athlete to compete in the Olympics and the fifth Bulldog to ever qualify for the Olympics in track & field. However, she is the the first since 1960 to compete on the Olympic track.

Ajayi earned a spot on the 4x400-meter mixed relay team, a new event at this year's Olympics, by finishing fifth in the 400 meters at the Nigerian Olympic Trials to put her squarely in the relay team pool. In the qualifying heats, she posted the fourth-fastest qualifying time of 53.37, which also surpassed the previous Drake school record in the event.

The honor of representing Nigeria in the Olympics adds to Ajayi stellar season as she won both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships to become the first Bulldog to do so since 1984.

Ajayi is currently training with her fellow teammates in Nigeria. The team is scheduled to compete Saturday, July 31.